A lighting source controller is an electronic device used to control one or more light sources, such as a fluorescent, incandescent, or light emitting diode (LED) lamp. A lighting source controller activates a light source based on various conditions including occupancy, desired use and time of day. A lighting source controller also controls the intensity of the light source to provide a dimming effect. One of the benefits of lighting control is that dimmed light sources consume less energy than lighting at full load. For this reason, lighting control has been used in various control schemes to reduce demand during peak energy demand times or simply to conserve energy on an ongoing basis.
Some programs supporting energy conservation, such as the Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, require validation and measurement of actual energy usage to prove the lighting control systems are realizing reduced energy consumption. To meet this requirement, a separate energy metering system is typically employed to gather the required data. These systems are expensive as they require the design, installation, and maintenance of a second system.
Therefore, a need currently exists in the art for a lighting source controller that both controls and measures energy usage of light sources without the need for a separate energy metering system.
Many commercial and industrial buildings utilize more than one type of light source. For example, some buildings employ incandescent, fluorescent, and LED lamps, all in the same building. A conventional lighting source controller typically needs a separate control circuit or control card for each type of light source. This leads to higher costs incurred during the design of the lighting source controller and high maintenance costs for the lighting system. It also requires keeping more spare controller cards readily available, in case one of the controller cards needs replacement. Accordingly, a need also exists in the art for a lighting source controller circuit or controller card capable of controlling multiple types of light sources.